


Problem Solving

by Alliance (Xazz)



Series: Cypress Hall [48]
Category: Flight Rising
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-25 23:45:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14988140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xazz/pseuds/Alliance





	1. Chapter 1

[Aten](http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=332919&tab=dragon&did=38320671) woke up to a loud banging somewhere close by. He squinted against the harsh morning sunlight. He’d never get used to that, especially in the Ruins where the sunlight was brighter than normal. The banging continued and Aten made several noises of complaint to himself that, as usual, no one cared about or were there to witness. Finally, when it continued for too long, he couldn’t take it anymore. He rolled out of bed, grabbed a shirt, and went to investigate. He managed to half button it so it just covered sort of covered his chest by the time he made it to the door.

He followed the source of the banging and it turned out to be a humi shaped coatl on a ladder. He had a hammer in one hand and his tongue was wrapped around a few nails. A utility belt that was full to bursting hung off one side of his hip. He was nailing a beam into the wall. Aten had no idea why. He had never seen this coatl before. They had sort of black hair that was graying out to a muted blue-gray and he’d been in humi form long enough for his hands to be well worn from work. He was focused on what he was doing and ignoring Aten. Aten couldn’t help but just stare in confusion.

The coatl took a nail out of his tongue, hammered it into place, and repeated the process. As he was hammering the last nail Aten heard him start humming to himself, his long, cobalt, tail swaying a bit to an internal tempo. He was finishing up with the beam when he grunted, “you just gonna stand there staring or you gonna come help?” Aten started and looked around. Were they talking to him? He was sure they hadn’t seen him. The coatl looked over his shoulder. “Well, kid?” he asked, raising a brow at him.

Aten didn’t say anything and just stared back uneasily. After a few seconds, he shrunk away out of sight of the carpenter. By the time he made it back to his room, the hammering has resumed.


	2. Chapter 2

[Johanna](http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=332919&tab=dragon&did=172145) found [Fjord](http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=332919&tab=dragon&did=41099055) in her office, sprawled out in the chair on the opposite side of her desk, picking at his teeth with a toothpick. Or maybe it was a big splinter of wood. Johanna could never be sure. She was carrying [Victoria](http://flightrising.com/main.php?p=lair&id=332919&tab=dragon&did=41843114) in one arm to do some paperwork with her daughter. She’d been falling behind in that because of Victoria. Not that she didn’t mind spending time with her daughter. “Fjord, can I help you?” she asked, half closing the door behind her.

“Ah, just the lady I was looking for!” Fjord said, taking the wood out of his mouth.

“This is my office, so I’d hope so,” she said and came around to her side of the desk.

“You never know in this place,” he shrugged and ran his hand through his nearly blue and gray hair.

“Did you need something?” she asked as she sat behind her desk, Victoria in her lap.

“I saw you had a new kid around-

“My children are not your concern,” she said leaning back in her chair.

“I didn’t mean _your_ kids. I meant that boy you got loitering around giving everyone a dirty look if they look at him too long,” he said casually and put the end of the toothpick into his mouth again.

“Ah, that is my new ward: Aten. He’s a runaway from the Warren.”

“Hmmm,” Fjord worked the wood shard around in his mouth. “He’s been watching me.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Not so much,” Fjord admitted. “But he seems… useless. Mind if I use him?”

“For what?” she asked slowly.

“I heard he can perform rapid transformation. Of course, Gemmy told me that so I know how much I believe it,” he grimaced a little. At least Fjord was smart enough not to trust everything that came out of Gemini’s mouth. That boy would lie to his own mother.

“He can. Why?”

“That’d be useful for bringing home lumber without having to get it shipped. Would make the work faster and cheaper. _And_ it’d get him out of North Face,” Fjord said with a grin.

Johanna did like the sound of it. Aten could stand leaving North Face now and then. And she _really_ liked the sound of cheaper lumber. Usually, it cost quite a bit to get lumber from the northern pine forests shipped down by caravan or airship for the many renovations in the Hall as Fjord was basically rebuilding all the structures from the foundation up. “Ask him,” she said simply. “He’s not my underling; he’s my ward. I give him my protection but he does as he pleases.” She gently bounced Victoria on her knee as Fjord thought about that.

“Why’s he need your protection?” he fiddled with his toothpick.

“That’s our business.”

“Nothing dangerous, right?”

“He’s a runaway from the Warren, Fjord. What do you think?”

Fjord played with his sliver of wood a few moments more, saying nothing. “Think you should get rid of them, personally. But you’re the boss,” he shrugged to his feet with a groan. “Good day, Jo,” he nodded to her before leaving.

Johanna frowned after him and looked down at her daughter. She made a baby noise at her. “Yes, he is annoying,” she agreed, patting Victoria on the back gently before starting some work.


End file.
